A Car Party Not For The Faint-Hearted

Next Chapter >

Everything Is Going To Be Alright

Remember your first party? Not like your first get together with a small group of friends – I’m talking full blown house party. The sort of party where some random door was opened up to the public and every nook and cranny in the building was filled with a different group of strangers exercising their rights to unwind. Well my friends, that’s exactly what SoWo after dark is – albeit on an entirely magnified level.

This post may be unorthodox, and it sure as hell may be risky, but just like kanjo street racing on the Osaka Loop in Japan, it is car culture. Please understand that in no way am I trying to glorify these actions, or even encourage them. But as a Speedhunter I feel it’s my duty to engulf myself in all the chaos that surrounds us and properly document exactly what goes on at each and every event.

Those of you that have attended a Southern Wörthersee in the past know exactly what I’m talking about. Streets flooded with out-of-towners and every hotel stuffed to the brim with individuals looking to create their own epic experience that will be remembered for years to come.

Some may think this behavior is a bit disrespectful to the host, and sure, some of the locals get a bit overwhelmed. But it’s worth keeping in mind that event year this single weekend is one of the greatest forms of revenue for the small city of Helen.

Not only is SoWo a massive source of income, but believe it or not, it actually creates jobs. With the tiny town only home to a handful of police officers at any other time of the year, the surrounding counties are called upon to come in and help regulate the chaos. And when your job primarily consists of writing speeding tickets and dealing with petty crimes, you can’t say that it wouldn’t not be at least a little bit refreshing for these officers to be out on the street putting wild kids in their place. I’m not talking out of my ass either, because I actually took the time to talk to the men and women who were out and about keeping us all safe throughout the weekend.

At the other end of the spectrum, let me be the first to introduce you to Steve – one of the most radical people I met all weekend. As a Helen local, Steve makes an effort to come out to SoWo every single year, with no other intention but to sit back and quietly observe the chaos from a safe distance and see “who’s gonna get popped.” It’s one the highlights of his year.

Or these folks, who were perhaps wise enough to stay in the safe zone – but were constantly entertained by the surrounding shenanigans.

Everything I heard in the days leading up to SoWo was that the event was nothing but a constant party. Sure, the show itself is absolutely mind blowing, but keep in mind, this is also a vacation for more than a few of the individuals in attendance. A place where one can escape their daily grind for a weekend and really let it all out.

Party On, My Friends

So that’s exactly what I did. I let it out. I ran my body to ground in effort to properly capture the true essence of Southern Wörthersee. Afterwards, I was beat. So beat that I was left with one of those, ‘I’ll never drink again’ feelings deep in my queazy gut. But it was worth it.

But it was about so much more than partying. With a drink in hand, you’d be amazed at what you’d find with every turned corner. Even walking out of the local liquor store I was smacked dead in the face with this E21. The significance? Not once did I see this car throughout the entire show.

At times like these it’s really hard to put responsibility into play as you never really know what’s right. A prime example? How about my last night. I was totally shot; ready to throw in the towel and call it a night. But I knew there was still so much going on. It was at this point that I decided to suck it up, lace up my boots and begin throwing myself into the mix; mingling with whoever I could in effort to find the next best story.

It’s exactly at this point that I ran into the owner of this Mercedes as he was about to leave for the evening. This may not be entirely significant to you yet, but just wait until we show you what’s under the hood of this beast in an upcoming feature. Then you’ll understand why this was so symbolic.

Come to think of it, if I hadn’t made the decision to continue pushing on I would have never found the owner, and therefore never had the opportunity to shoot it in the near future.

I really think it’s these instances where some of the most unique content comes into play. When you throw yourself into the unknown, hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

And it wasn’t but a mile or so past the owner of this Mercedes that I was bombarded with a single road swarmed with raging enthusiasts begging each passerby to light up their tires. I’ll admit, it got pretty intense. But I’d be damned if I didn’t throw myself directly into the center of the ensuing carnage to capture the experience.

The energy was so high I couldn’t even focus (literally, I couldn’t focus my lens). I was constantly being ran into by people and with every frame was a motorist flying directly at me. I’ve done some crazy things in my life, but this one has definitely made its way up the list. My knees were shaking and my adrenaline was overflowing, yet that could also be just because I’m not currently enrolled with a health insurance provider (sorry dad!).

At the end of the Main St. stretch was the Helendorf Hotel. Infamous for the size of its SoWo party, this is where it all really went down. Where hundreds of individuals, packed like sardines from shoulder to shoulder, enjoyed their last night in Helen before returning to the real world.

Even through the blur, there was a point were I began to hear gunfire – or at least what I first believed were shots.

Which turned out to be a pair of R32s having a complete, fire-spitting rev-off amongst the crowd. I got as close as I could, but after a few pops it literally began to feel like I was taking shotgun blows to the chest; the bursts ricocheting off my jacket.

And just like that, it was over. No one was harmed, no one was angry and no one was evicted. So you tell me – did I do the responsible thing? Again, in no way will we ever glorify these actions, but is it wrong to document it? And as a professional journalist, should I have stayed in my hotel room sifting through the days photos and catching that must needed beauty sleep? Regardless of how you feel, this is Southern Wörthersee, and I feel I’d be doing a bad job if I didn’t show what actually goes on.

So on that note, I’d like to ask the pivotal question: how interested are you in seeing what goes on under the covers once show gates close? Would you prefer I move forward just scratching the surface and remaining as politically correct as possible? Or should I continue searching for the purest story possible? For better or worse, I have no problem continuing to put my life on the line in effort to capture these authentic moments of our culture (as a true journalist should). But only if you are hungry for it…

Comments

90 comments

I like this stuff. Everyone knows what it's like after a car show or race and it just gets crazy. During a big cruise here in Michigan, the Friday before the event everyone cruises too, but the cops shut the road down around 1am to get the traffic off. So while they were getting drivers off the road, the drivers would just do burnouts and people were everywhere pushing them on. Cops just watched an kept directing traffic.

This story adds a whole other feel to the events that you guys cover. Again, I like.

I'd like to see a mix of both, it's to have the event covering, showing the builds of the participants on the one hand, but also the action which is during the night. Also, you probably see a few pretty awesome rides during the night, which you'd like to share with us, wouldn't you?But I'm sure almost everyone agrees with me on that one: These parties simply are a part of the car culture!

We hungry, in fact we are starving. lol No seriously though, this is car culture at its full expression. Every city, country, be it a group of 5 people has its on unique expression. This is wonderful. That's the whole point of having a team, everyone brings something to the table and that is what makes Speed HUnters. Evolve!

robzor Homeboy Rob, what's wrong with the last picture? This is 2014 or am I wrong? Matt tried to give a fair representation of what happens at an automotive festival and let me assure you that this happens and it is one of the best parts. When I was in my very early 20s, me and my homeboys tried to impress the ladies in our crappy little cars. Now, I got a fiance, a second-hand C63 AMG sedan on HRE wheels and I miss this special feeling of rolling with the windows down in our riceboxes trying to get a smile from the ladies...

With that being said, I enjoyed this post and a mix of actual car coverage and behind the scenes would make things much more interesting and entertaining to read-watch!

I think we are all primarily here for the cars, we are car enthusiasts after all BUT: it's car culture, it's part of the whole drunk on octane, drunk on life craziness that we love and I want to see it all. I recon gatebil has some pretty awesome nightlife no?

I would love the read more but don't do it. Leave it. It is exactly this kind of behavior that brings new impound laws and zero tolerance from authorities for minor infringements. It will continue anyway and those that want can still enjoy these outings but don't advertise them. Marius

Dori the explorer It is not like they are promoting drunk behaviour and automotive culture. All I see is people having fun but it goes without saying that they should also be cautious not to cause any problems.I reckon that the editor, in this case, is reporting all the details of such an event giving us the chance to fully grasp the experience of SOWO. I have never been to SOWO and the accumulation of Matt's SOWO posts, gave me a clear illustration of what happened at this event. That's the best compliment I could give to someone who covers an event.

In the politically correct, bubble wrapped world we live in its great to see people enjoy themselves. Especially when apart from ruffling the feathers of cardigan wearing drips nobody gets hurt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSBiIc-IWY

Matt Jones Oh yes it was definitely a wild time but it still stayed pretty in control all said and done. The awesome LEOs of Helen should be commended for being some of the most patient, tolerant, and just overall awesome police officers most of us have ever encountered too

While I can appreciate the direction your going with this type of post I don't agree with some of it. The surprising thing is it won't be the things you probably expect. I get that what your showing is car culture and I enjoy that but some of the core things most people come here for all falling by the wayside. One very big reason I frequent this site is because of the quality of the photography and I feel that was lost in this instance. I get that "it was crazy" but that's does not mean that you should be compromising the quality of your work. Another large part of why I come here is well written articles and I just don't get that feeling from this post.

Appreciate the effort Matthew. But no matter how much you mention " in no way will we ever glorify these actions" it's just going to brew up trouble. People will go the lengths to recreate such events locally (where ever they are). When they go wrong, it will destroy the car culture that existed because the local authorities have more of a reason to pick on enthusiasts. Virtually making even small meets with friends impossible. Specifically in Australia, we have experienced it. After it was published (summernats) after parties, media targeted the car community as "hoons terrorizing the streets", etc ,etc. Then that brews up sociatal hate, which branches off into stricter bullcrap from the authorities.

Thanks for posting this article. This was so refreshing just to see that people still use cars to come together and have a great time. And to all the people complaining about this article, have you forgotten what car culture is all about? It's about freedom, plain and simple. Freedom to go where you want, when you want, in a vehicle that is individual to you. And when you find like-minded people, it's only appropriate to have a good time. Life is too short not to.Good article, Matt

I must disagree with posting this sort of thing. Yes, it does go on all the time, yes it gets crazy, yes it is a part of motorsports culture. I do not disagree or have a problem with that. What I have a problem with (in SH's instance here) is that I remember hearing about Gatebil. Then SH started hyping Gatebil. Now Gatebil is so big, I can only guess it may only have a few years left due to the popularity, insanity level of the builds, the sheer numbers of people that will attend each year as it gets even bigger. I can't help but look to the exposure of SH and its mastery of modern social medias as a large cause. I've watched Speedhunters go from a drift car site spawned by a video game to a world-renowned photography blog, merchandiser, team sponsor, world touring automotive style embassador that like it or not, people DO look to as to what to do and where to get the best out of this culture.

@Seeking Perfection EricSeanDelaney I agree. This shows you what you miss when you don't get out and go to events. I think this meshes well with the "get out and do something" commentary SH encourages.

Wellwritten documented , photographed and reported as it happened , If I am correct journalism should be accurate and unbiasedand show and capture the whole event Matt hasdone that fantastically.Theevent was very well controlled by theHelen PD and the Georgia state troopers who were seconded to help police the event . The chief of the Helen PD eventook to the mike to address the crowds and helped keep the whole even under control ..This event has grown in 8 years from afew hundred cars and people to a huge event in the high thousands , as it growsthe chance of some trouble makers and issues increases .. the quality of thecars on show here is amazing … well done Matt and Speedhunters for writing and tellingit as it is .. if you love your VW - Audi – Euro scene and like a party thenyou should go sometime ..if you are offended by some raucous behaviour loaded parties and beer then don’t go , don’t read itandmove on and enjoy the otherSpeedhunter features that don’t offend you. “If someone isn't whatothers want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clearidea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own”

What a cute little party. Now come cover ZDayZ where a real automotive celebration occurs and where the driving and partying are kept clearly separated. ZDayZ is so much BIGGER and BETTER than this tripe.

Love this story! You captured a great scene. In fact I feel that the behind the scenes coverage is overlooked by many media outlets and therefore the whole story doesn't get told (due to being too PC perhaps).

There is one car event that takes the cake though...ZDAYZ!! It is by far the craziest party in the mountains!!

Awesome! I find that when I go to shows, it's afterward, when stuff has died down, that I can talk to owners and stuff more comfortably and get a closer, more relaxed look at the cars. I'm glad you had tons of fun man, that's what it's all about! But keep in mind, you're a Speedhunter! Your photos still have to be top notch! Lol!

MartinBrandan Thanks brother! And I completely agree with you. Realistically, I think I just wasn't fully prepared for the situation as I wasn't even entirely sure what would be going on. Now that I know the community is generally interested in these types of experiences I'll be sure to knock the next one out of the park.

RodChong seriously, I'm a married guy and I'm only here for the cars, if there gets to be much else I'll "unsubscribe" if you get me. Let's put it this way, you get people reading here by posting about cars, I'm pretty sure that posting "the party" will only drive away people, not really drive many in.

Will it drive your whole readership away? No. Will it drive away a small percentage? Yes.Will it attract much new readership? I can't imagine it really would.Will it create any value for your brand? I guess thats up to you to determine, but I can't see how adding those types of stories will.

@Prude robzor RodChong nightly, with a tennis racket. I'm a Christian guy, as a courtesy to my wife and a religious duty, I'm careful about what goes in front of my eyes. I'm not calling anyone a bad person or anything else, I just choose my content like you do: based on what I want to read.

Please leave SH as a pure car website. There are plenty other sites where you can find cars with naked women on them or people affected with substances. It's not with SH's "brand". Once you start the downhill slide, there's no coming back.

We come here for pictures of cars. Not to see drunk miscreants being drunk miscreants.

Oh, and I know somebody is going to reply saying "But this is car culture!" No, it's not, and I think it's stupid to claim this to be car culture. Society doesn't exactly understand import/euro enthusiasts to start with. We don't seriously want to be perceived as a pack of loud, drunken lunatics with little to no respect for personal property, do we? What happens when we want to schedule a car show or meet somewhere? People are going to think this is how all of us behave thanks to articles like this, and we're not going to be welcome anywhere. THIS is why we're profiled by law enforcement. THIS is why we're avoided and shunned by other enthusiasts. They all think we're going to start revving our engines and shotgunning beers at any second, when in reality that's only a small portion of immature individuals. Thanks to articles like these, however, the more mature enthusiasts among us have to work extra hard to eradicate the stereotype perpetuated by the morons depicted here.

If people think I'm a bore because of this, then fine. I'm a bore. I know it's weird to want to go to car shows without being surrounded by drunkards.

If you want to attend parties like this, then fine. If you want to take pictures of it, then more power to you. But remember that your website is extremely popular the world over. It's read by thousands of enthusiasts of all ages and walks of life. I would think that you would want to shine a positive light on our culture because of that fact. True, you never claim that these activities are an integral part of our culture or anything, but I know how people think. My point is, we all know these things go on. We don't necessarily need to see a couple dozen pictures of it, do we? Please just think about what you're posting, and how it affects how our culture is perceived by the rest of society.

@Jake Laird This comes from a person who becomes ''angry'' when he sees a stanced car feature and never says anything positive about anything. Your attitude is offensive like your current extensive use of the word ''moron''. You are rude and the use of derogatory terms does not give you any positive points...

I quite enjoyed the post, because with these beautiful cars comes the lifestyles, I love to know what fuels people to go to these events and makes them want to build another car to take back there. Its like going to the Nurburgring 24hour and not experiencing the ear-shattering bass in the campsites from all the crazy partying that goes on all night long, its things like this that as you say make it so much more memorable.

@TROLLhunters much as I usually take offense at Jake's posts, he is hitting on some real points. For instance, how long do you think Cars & Coffee in Irvine would go on if it was Cars & Coronas? And for every young hothead that wants the party, i can surmise there are 3 or 4 adults, some with kids, that enjoy car culture just fine without the drunken fools.

MikeYee Your car looks like my refute (shit) and it could potentially be a form of public danger for the rest of us who drive safe - well maintained cars, but I am not going to judge your or call you a moron. Your deathtrap seems far more dangerous than the SOWO attendants.

@TROLLhunters MikeYee So, you have a problem with Jake's use of the word "moron", but you then go on to personally attack another poster and their car? Wow, real mature. Guess you'd fit right in at SoWo.

Yes, Jake can be..."abrasive", but he raises some good points in this post. All of which i completely agree with. Car culture (to use SH's beloved phrase) doesn't need any help being even more demonised than it already is.

For what it's, even if you disregard the potential negative impact on car culture, I don't think this is worthy of an article full stop. A party, hardly what I'd call "journalism".

Hotcakes MikeYee You people have double standards. When you care so much about the safety of others or the potential impact on car culture, you need do things the right way on your own to give a good example. Maintenance of your car is of vital importance. Let me be the one who will educate you on the matter before you keep preaching about the SOWO crowd.

Please show some courtesy and let Jake speak for himself. Do not deprive him the right to answer. He does not need lawyers to act on his behalf. Please try your counter argument again.

If we're going to play that game, then there's no point in you commenting in defense of the article. Matt is a big boy, he doesn't need you acting on his behalf.

It's called discussion. Some people agree with others, some don't.

There is no counter argument to try again, because you do not have an argument to begin with. Or a leg to stand on, for that matter.

That being said, between your posts and your name, I'm beginning to realise you're not even here to have an argument or discussion, you're just here to get a rise out of people. I could tell you the sky is blue and you'd disagree.

If you like this kind of parties we have them here in Bogota every week. It's called "Piques ilegales", or illegal drags, and they do this kind of parties after they goof around driving like shit on public streets, driving on bus lanes and running over policemen on daddy's VW Jettas and crap hatchbacks with awful mods on them. They usually go to a pool complex or out of town to a condo, get some booze, some dumb chicks with father issues and call that a "lifestyle" and "car culture". And whatever happens to them doesn't matter because daddy pays the bills or bribes the judges, doesn't matter. I dont know for sure about SoWo, of course, I wasn't there, but it looks awfully similar to me.

@TROLLhunters MikeYee resorting to personal attacks now coolguy? I still am not getting why you are so pissy over Jake's comment besides his use of the word "moron" for a community you seem to hold dearly. At this point it's starting to sound like you're a representation of one of them (which is hurting the article even more...)?

@Jake Laird "Thanks to articles like these, however, the more mature enthusiasts among us have to work extra hard to eradicate the stereotype perpetuated by the morons depicted here."I can relate...we have to go out of our way not to be lumped together with all this nonsense, yet we are hot rodders, speedhunters, gearheads, and car guys thru and thru.

This is great. This is journalism, not public relations. As much as we like to think SH is a huge and ubiquitous source of car culture, there would be very few non-car-enthusiasts who would ever read these pages. Keep your sanitized coverage and political correctness for mainstream news stories (where we do need to clean up our image). If a party happens, and you're there, cover it. I personally find shots of people doing their thing with cars around more interesting than shots of cars on their own. This sort of coverage certainly gives a much better idea of the feel of the event than sanitized daytime shots of cars in rows on grass. Personally I've never wanted to go to SoWo until I read this. I understand rowdiness and antics may not be everyone's cup of tea, but at least those people know to stay away from this event now, having seen what goes on after dark.Keep it up.

OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS

PRESENTATION MODE

DOWNLOAD WALLPAPER

ORDER PRINT

SHARE

About Us

Speedhunters is an international collective of photographers, writers & drivers with a shared passion for uncovering the world's most exciting car culture stories.

Contact Us

We're always very interested to hear your own stories as well as to receive your feedback. Please take a look at our FAQ first but if you don't find what you are looking for then you are welcome to contact us via email, thank you.